Open a Window
by bcfire
Summary: Tenten must escort Gaara back to Suna. Crack pairing. GaaTen Title is craptastic, please give it a chance.
1. Starting out

**EDIT:** Just adding dividers. But for some reason they still don't come up in the editor so I have to be snarky about it. Stupid program! Oh! I'm also a bit stuck on chapter 5, does anyone want to be my beta-reader?

Blah, blah, blah, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and anyone trying to steal it from him are bastards.

I never thought that I would actually write a fan fic. I do read them, but that's mostly because I have far too much free time. That and so many of them are just so bad it's funny. I'm talking laugh out loud, piss your pants funny (especially Harry Potter ones, oh those great). But this would make me a hypocrite, now wouldn't it? So what evil possessed me to do this? Well, I saw a challenge to write odd Naruto pairings and that got me thinking "What would be an odd pairing?" I then thought, well hell, why not the most obscure of all the girls and the most likely of the boys die alone and sexless? Yep, Gaara/Tenten. I thought it was stupid. Then I thought how would someone put those two together other than "Nice shoes. Let's fuck." My mind wandered and I soon found that I actually kinda liked it.

So this is an impulse I had to get out. I had originally thought of this as a one shot but I find I am too verbose for that. But I'll warn you now that the likelihood of me finishing this is low. However, if you stroke my ego enough it might inspire me to continue. Although I'm not promising fine lit, I do hope you find this entertaining and feel free to mock me as much as you feel is necessary.

It's slightly AU so don't hate me for "messing with Kishimoto's vision."

Anywho, enough cock blockery! On with the show!

(I seperate story from crap that no one cares about.)

"Well this is just great!" thought Tenten as she sped through the forest with an unconscious kazekage, who was far heavier than he looked, draped piggy-back style over her. Sakura had treated his wounds and Tenten knew enough to keep him out of danger until they arrived back to civilization in case there were complications, but that wasn't what had her slightly distraught. Right when they were about to leave that death trap full of S-class criminals they received an order via hawk telling them to start pursuit of Akatsuki before they became an even bigger problem and that back up would soon be on it's way.

Normally, Tenten would love to run head first into a good fight, but she's not in the good fight. Someone had to escort the captive kazekage back to his village to receive proper treatment. The only two who had any medical training were Sakura and Tenten (though Tenten had only minimal training as she realized she liked to cause bleeding more than stop it), so they were the best suited to take him. However, in such a dangerous mission a medical nin is highly necessary, so Tenten got the boot. Translation: "She's more useful than you."

Oh she understood the importance of rushing the kazekage back home and that yes, Sakura could save the lives of her comrades in a tight spot, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. At that moment her calves burned, her breathing was a bit strangled and her back ached. She almost lost it many times dodging traps on her way out of Akatsuki territory and her burden wasn't making things any easier for her. He was pretty heavy for a little guy. She ran far enough! It was time for a break!

She found a small rock formation that would serve to hide her while she rested. She set the kazekage down as gently as she could manage and started to look around. The sun was down and the sky was darkening to a deep indigo, which Tenten took as a sign to stop for the night. Se decided that a small fire wouldn't hurt and gathered some wood while she set traps around her camp.

Sitting down had never before felt so good. Tenten rummaged through her pack and picked at some rations that she brought with her only to find she didn't have much of an appetite. She was tired but adrenalin from her previous activities were keeping her a bit restless. Not that she could drift off anyway. Her traps would warn her of anyone coming in the area, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to curl up and take a nap.

Tenten studied the shinobi laying before her. Why would someone living in one of the hottest places on the planet want to wear so much heavy black clothing? She mused for a moment that it was because it was "so damn stylish" and smiled a bit. The great Kazekage. He was younger than the rookies when she first saw him during the first chuunin exam she participated in. She could tell he was strong, but it wasn't like his bitch team mate that broke Tenten's back. There was something about him that didn't feel quite right. Something ominous like a monster pretending to be a boy. After her recovery she heard how he nearly killed Lee and saw him fight in the main matches. He WAS a monster! Horribly strong and perfectly cruel.

But then again, when Uchiha Sasuke defected, it was also this boy who made sure Lee came back from the dumbest decision he ever made in one piece. She had seen him once at that time. She was on her way into the hospital while he and his team mates were on their way out. Even in those few moments in passing one another she could tell the difference. His team mates seemed more relaxed around him than last time and his aura...It was still dark, but less threatening and more sad. However, his movements and presence still radiated with indescribable strength.

And yet here he is. Battered and broken and fighting for life. He's mortal after all it just the took the worst kind of monsters to prove it. She shivered. How were the others doing? Neji, please don't let Lee get overly excited. Gai, please make sure Neji doesn't get too cocky. They're her best friends and she simply wouldn't know what to do without them. She pulled her knees beneath her chin and rested her eyes for a bit.

(You can leave now.)

Is the suspense killing you yet? Just kidding. C&C s'il vous plait!


	2. Waking up

**EDIT: **Once again adding dividers.

You like me! You really like me! Many thanks for so many kind reviews on such a short chapter.

Naruto couldn't possibly belong to me because I don't have an original bone in my body.

I'm watching X-Play right now, it's very funny. "Fan fiction cost-players, can't live with them, can't shove them in a sack." D Well enough of my personal life...or lack there of...more mindless banter.

(I am SO a divider)

The smell of dirt and wood burning. The sound of a crackling fire with a background chorus of crickets chirping. Everything was black, then white. Then it rippled and fogged and cleared into a star filled sky. How did he get here? Why isn't he dead? 1 Gaara managed to force himself to sit up in spite of the horrible pain shooting through his entire body. Even his hair seemed to ache.

Once in a sitting position he could see who had brought him there. A young Leaf konoichi sat across from him on the other side of a small fire that was starting to die. Suna must have called Konoha for assistance in pursuing the men that abducted him. He recognized the girl's face but he couldn't put a name to it. Whatever. Doesn't really matter.

Something caught in his chest and he stared to cough violently which woke the sleeping girl. She quickly jumped to his side with a canteen of water. He took a small drink and started breathing somewhat normally again. He mumbled a small thanks and handed the water back to the girl.

The girl sat quietly for a moment looking him over till she broke the silence with "How are you feeling?" It wasn't the brightest question and Gaara's more sarcastic side wanted to tell her that he felt like dancing, but he opted for a silent reply.

Instead he asked something that he felt mattered a bit more. "What is the current condition of Suna? Why are Konoha ninja assisting in recovering me?"

She bit her lip. "Well, they didn't say anything about Suna being in bad condition. I can only assume that they wanted to keep village security as high priority while you're gone. A village without a Kage is in a very volatile position after all. There was one representative from Suna, though."

"Who?"

"An older woman. I think her name was Chiyo-ba."

What was Nana doing out of her hole! He frowned slightly. Was it that no one else wanted to come? In spite of the woman being slightly...odd, she had always treated him fairly. Wait, where is she now? "Where is the rest of the rescue party?"

"They stayed behind to deal with Akatsuki. I was sent to take you back to Suna because I have some medical training. Speaking of, you never answered me. How are you feeling? Do you think you can walk?"

Gaara hadn't really tried his legs yet. He moved his stiff muscles and tried to get up. Unfortunately gravity had other plans and he tumbled back to the ground. "Ow."

Something was not right. Why didn't the sand catch him before he hit the ground? _Shukaku! Sanity check!_ Normally, this question is answered with a prompt **"Genjutsu." **or **"No clue but it's not just you." **and sometimes the ever worrisome response of **"Dream." **But not this time. This time there was only silence.

I apologize in advance for the "Sanity check" gag. But one can never be too careful! I also apologize for the uber short chapter but it just felt like a good place to stop. Anywho, C & C is always appreciated.

(Yep, still a divider)

1 Because the currant manga arc is a complete let down for me.


	3. Odd Behavior

Wow, I am so sorry. Bet everyone gave up on this one. Life has been a bit hectic…to say the least…..

So I swore I wouldn't give up on this story and I shall not.

* * *

They way he was looking at his legs you would have thought they had been chopped off. He didn't seem to be in pain, just confused, then pensive. Gaara looked up at her and asked "What was the situation when you recovered me from the Akatsuki?"

"I wasn't there during the initial storm into the fortress. But from my understanding, one of the assailants tried to escape with you, but Naruto defeated him and got you back. We all thought you were dead though." Tenten noted the frown that appeared on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"It's gone."

Sweet Buddha what _is _he talking about? "What's gone?"

"The Shukaku demon." He replied matter-of-factually, like it explained everything. After a bit of awkward silence he continued to explain. "It's a bit complicated but we'll just leave it at: I can no longer control the sand, at least not as well as I could before, if at all."

"Oh…" Tenten really had no idea what he was talking about but it soon dawned upon her that he couldn't use the sand, which meant he was more or less, helpless. "So you can't fight. Well, I'm sure it will come back to you once you're fully recovered. You were in pretty bad shape when we reclaimed you."

Gaara could see that this wasn't going to get far without a full explanation, but he didn't feel like giving one. Not that she needed to fully understand the situation anyway. So he gave a halfhearted "Maybe," and left it at that.

She smiled, "We'll be back in Suna in a couple days and you can receive full treatment."

He tried his legs a second time and was far more successful than his first attempt. He stretched and popped his back into alignment, which hurt immensely, but soon made him feel a lot better than he had. He was on his feet but still a bit off balance. Traveling will not be easy and they had quite a ways to go. "I'm not going to be able to light-foot with my injuries; we're going to have to walk to Suna. Do you know our currant location?"

Tenten pulled out a map and determined their location. Gaara pointed out the location of Suna on the map, which was quite a distance away. Tenten looked at the map incredulously. "That could take a week at walking speed!"

"Actually, once we hit the desert our speed will have decrease dramatically, or we'll exhaust ourselves. So we'll probably be looking at two weeks."

"Two weeks!"

"Unless you want to carry me, yes."

Tenten leaned back on her hands. Two weeks on the road crossing a desert with Mr. Sarcastic. Joy.

Calling Gaara quiet would be an understatement, as he only seems to speak to her when he has a command or a sarcastic remark. It would be another understatement to call Gaara weird. First, he insisted on stopping to gather a bunch of gourds that they had found, but never had an answer as to why. Then, he started gathering sticks and carving them so they were perfectly straight. Gaara is quiet, demanding, sarcastic, and weird.

But this, this is the straw that broke the camel's back. While Tenten was asleep, (which brough up yet another oddity. She hasn't seen Gaara sleep once since he regained consciousness their first night traveling) Gaara had unraveled one of her scrolls to make two parasols out of the sticks he had been carving.

Tenten is normally patient. Its defense she's built up after many years of working with Lee. But Lee never messed with her scrolls. And of course he couldn't have chosen a small scroll. No, he had to grab a particularly large and complicated scroll. So she plastered on a big smile and asked "Gaara why did you use my scroll to make two parasols?"

"Simple. One for me, one for you."

Tenten wanted to kick him. She wanted to scream at him. Four days of putting up with his disagreeable nature and smart mouth has worn her thin. But instead of giving him the reaming he deserved, she took the parasol he made for her, and busted it over a nearby rock. She turned and stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to glower at her destroying his bizarre little project, only to be disappointed and angered to his complete indifference as he shrugged it off.

The next day they had made it to the barren desert of the Wind Country. Gaara stopped and handed her three of the gourds he had gathered, but now they were full of water. "Here. These should give you enough water to last the journey through the desert."

Tenten didn't know what to say. So she just took the gourds and packed them away.

Later, the sun had finally gotten to her. She told Gaara to stop for a moment as she rolled up her pants legs. She was going to rip her sleeves off but before she did Gaara interrupted her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If I were you, I'd want to keep as much of my body out of direct sunlight as possible."

"Why?"

"Because without proper protection, your skin will burn, blister, and crack. The sun will literally cook you alive. Also, the cloth of your clothing will buy you some time if we're caught in a wind storm."

Tenten was completely horrified. "Wind storm."

"Yep. Winds so fast they'll rip the flesh from your bones."

Dear God this place is hell. She looked up at the young Kazekage who stood beneath the shade of his parasol. "You made the parasols to keep the sun off of us."

His reply was a mere smirk. Then in an unfathomable gesture of generosity, he tossed the parasol to her. She caught it and looked up at him in confusion as he untucked a hood from his coat 1 and shoved his hands in his pockets, sufficiently covering the small amount of exposed skin on his body. He turned and continued on his way.

Tenten stood a watched him for a moment then ran to catch up with him. "Um…Thanks."

* * *

Thanks for reading! C&C is always welcome.

OH! Question: Do you want Gaara to regain the Shukaku, or do you want him to continue on without it?

1. I know, this is impossible in Gaara's new duds but let's just pretend ok.

Okie-doo, seeing as how there is a three way tie between yes, no, and undecided to the great Shukaku question, I gave it a bit more thought and I think I know what I'm going to do.

Oh


	4. Questions

**EDIT 2: **I seem to have forgotten that this chapter has scene breaks as well. Ooops. Also, I was laying in bed last night and realised that one of my dividers sounded...bad...So I'm changing it for something that wont accidently offend someone.**  
**

**EDIT: **Adding dividers and reminding you that beta reading brings good karma.

Okie-doo, seeing as how there is a three-way tie between yes, no, and undecided to the great Shukaku question (at least as it stands right now), I gave it a bit more thought and I think I know what I'm going to do. But that doesn't mean you can't still vote on it. I can always pull it wherever you guys would like it to go. What can I say? I'm a complete whore for my public. (Smiles approvingly at the grand total of four people reading this, two of which are my friends)

Oh, I tried to make dividers in chapter 3, but for some reason they didn't show up. So if they don't show up this time, I'm not ignoring the request, it's just being a hoochie when it uploads. I don't like hoochies. Hoochies are bad . . .

...I just noticed that the majority of profanity in this story actually comes from my own personal fowl mouth and not actual content . . . Heh heh . . . :)

I'm starting to babble again . . .

Naruto equal Kishimoto brain child

(Yay! Story time!)

Dante described seven circles of Hell in his Inferno. Tenten discovered the eighth. Blistering hot, freezing cold. Blistering hot, freezing cold. There is absolutely no happy medium in the vast torture that is the Wind country desert. Tenten was far from pampered, but this was unbearable.

And the grand mystery is that her traveling companion seemed completely unshaken like the whole trip is some sort of pleasure hike. But after a while Tenten had given up on trying to figure out Gaara's resolve of steel, and concluded that he just wasn't human. Or he really did die in the Akatsuki fortress, and he's now haunting her and the whole journey has actually been her transporting his remains back to the village. 1

After that last thought, Tenten decided it would be a good time to pause and drink some water.

Mysteries aside, hanging out with Gaara hasn't really been that bad. Ever since the parasol incident, Tenten decided it would probably be wise to listen to him while traversing the desert. After all, he does live in it, and she had fully succeeded in making an ass of herself by being stubborn. Soon after employing the "shut up, you don't know what you're talking about" rule, Gaara has been a bit more pleasant.

He doesn't say much, but when he feels the need to converse, he is actually a very engaging conversationalist. They will walk in silence for a bit, then he'll ask her something. The subject can go on for hours or minuets, depending on the topic. It can range from philosophical to the mundane (Her personal favorite being "Why is it you park in a driveway, and drive in a parkway?"). 2 While most boys his age were contemplating boobs, Gaara contemplated life.

He seemed to listen to what she had to say more than having a back and forth conversation. He'd fuel her with more questions about what she had said, but rarely stated his own opinion. Though she had to admit that she wished he did speak more often. She decided that she liked the sound of his voice. Quiet, but powerful. Soft, but masculine. Even a bit melodic. It was pleasant.

"Do you ever sing?" She blurted out during one of their silent spells. He paused, turned to her, slowly shook his head in response, and continued on his way.

She wasn't afraid of him and that's probably what intrigued him most about her. Most people did not need to know what he was, they just instinctually knew to keep away. Like some primal warning in the back of their mind whispered: _Danger. Stay away. Predator. _

Perhaps he lost that aura. He no longer carried the Shukaku, so perhaps there is no longer a need to worry. No. His actions were his own. The demon never made him do any of it. It's the frightening truth of it all. He enjoyed the kill. He invited the alienation. When everyone stays away from you, they can't hurt you. With or without the demon he still bares the mark of a killer. So why isn't she afraid of him? Perhaps she's just daft.

So he asked her questions. And to his surprise, she didn't dodge his questions like everyone else does. But perhaps she answered because she's not afraid of him. He listened for key words in her answers. She didn't seem stupid. But there was still one question that usually separates the focused from the simple. "You dating anyone?"

"Why? You wanna be my boyfriend?"

It certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting. Most girls would go on and on about the boy they're with or the boy they like. "Just casual conversation."

She laughed. "Are you always so serious?" She laughed again and shook her head. "I think if you want to be serious in our chosen profession, you have to hide your heart away until you can afford to fall in love. What about _you, _Kazekage-dono? Have you been bitten by the bug? Looking for advice from a girl on how to impress your lady?"

It was a more practical answer than he had originally expected. It also brought a new turn to the conversation that looked promising to figuring her out. Most people rely strongly on their emotions, particularly those of romance. So what is love to her? "And if I am?"

She smiled at him. "I knew under all those frowns and black articles of clothing you're a softie."

"Hardly."

"Well, you better start letting a bit of that go if you expect this girl to warm up to you. Girls like sincerity. But don't overdo it! Too much of your attention can easily become stifling."

"What if I'm not very sincere?"

She stopped and turned to him with a look of shock. "You're not looking for a . . . a . . ."

She didn't finish what she was going to say, just continued to stare at him in shock. What is she talking–"No!" He chose poor words in trying to get to what he really wanted to know. "I meant that I'm not sure how sincere I am."

She sighed with relief and started to laugh. "I'm sorry I should have known better by now. It's just . . . well . . . most boys are a bit . . . _Anyway!"_ She chuckled again. "How do you feel around this girl?"

Here we go. "I'm not sure I could accurately describe it."

"Oooo. Sounds serious."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think when you love someone, really truly love someone, it's like nothing you've ever felt before. It's everything wonderful, and sometimes everything horrible, all wrapped into one."

"Why would it be horrible? Isn't love supposed to be the ultimate high? The perfect feeling?"

She shook her head. "Maybe if the other person returns those feelings. But . . ."

"There's always the chance that you open your heart to someone, just to have it thrown back at you."

"Exactly."

"So what do you if that happens?"

"Just pick up the broken pieces and move on."

"That's far easier said than done."

"Yeah."

(SCENE BREAK)

That was intense. Tenten's insides were still squirming from the conversation. It seemed to hit dangerous territory for both of them. It brought back a few memories that Tenten could go without reliving. And Gaara sounds like he's had his heart broken a few times. Heh. Who knew? Though she had to admit that she had been wondering why he had "Love" tattooed on his forehead, she decided that she wasn't ready for the answer to that puzzle.

They had stopped for the night and built a fire. Gaara was looking up at the moon with an unreadable expression. Tenten was tired, but she hadn't seen her companion sleep at all for over a week and she was starting to worry. Gaara didn't seem like the type to take the night watch simply because it was gentlemanly of him to do so. He always says he'll take first watch then wake her halfway through the night so she can take over. But he never wakes her up. "Hey Gaara I'll take first watch tonight. You get some sleep."

As always Gaara was doing his routine moon gazing (though lately it doesn't have the dangerous effects on him that it used to) when Tenten told him to get some sleep. She must have noticed (it's a bit hard not to notice someone staying awake for a week straight). Even without the Shukaku Gaara found it hard to sleep. His body is trained to reject sleep so even though he takes first watch with full intentions of waking her up, he just doesn't get tired. "Don't worry about it. You look tired."

She glared at him. "Alright I'm just going to say it; you're creeping me out with your loony insomniac act. Also, you're injured, you need as much rest as you can get. So as your care giver, I order you to go to bed."

"It's not an act."

"What?"

"It's not an act. I am an insomniac. My body isn't use to sleeping."

To Tenten that made about as much sense as "My body isn't use to breathing." Which, for the record, didn't make a lick of sense. "Gaara, how could you not be used to sleeping?"

"It's a long story." She wait for him to elaborate so he added "And I don't feel like telling it to you."

"Oh come –!"

"Go to bed. I'm not going to sleep so you staying up will only accomplish more bitching tomorrow about how tired you are."

Oh that is it. Now it's a matter of principal. Tenten sat up straight, pulled her knees to her chin, and initiated a staring contest. If he's going to stay up, so is she.

It wasn't long before Tenten's eyelids dropped and she drifted to sleep sitting up. Women just can't handle being wrong, can they? She even had her sleeping bag out, but a little argument made her so stubborn she ignored her need for rest. She shivered. He waited till she started to snore softly before he laid her down and covered her up. She sighed and pulled her covers closer to her.

He watched for some time. It made no sense. Why does she insist on arguing with him over something so ridiculous? The trip has been wearing her down and if she's not careful she could over exhaust herself. Gaara had grown accustomed to the harsh desert climate so very little bothered him. "You just don't like weakness do you?"

(SCENE BREAK)

"Sleep well?"

Tenten wanted to kick him. Oh how she wanted to kick him. She could see herself beating that smug expression off his face then laughing like she had never laughed before.

They continued on their way, stopping, like they always do, mid-day while the sun made it hard to move. By the time they stopped for the night, Tenten had a plan. "Take off your armor."

"Why?"

"Just do it." He stared at her defiantly. "Please?" He complied and she sat behind him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to help relax you so you can sleep."

He rolled his eyes. "Will you please let it go. There is a reason why–AAAAH! What the hell are you doing to me!"

Tenten smirked and continued to rub his back. "You're stress levels must be sky rocketing. This will help relieve your pent up tension and make it easier for you to sleep."

"Stop."

"Calm down you big baby. It won't hurt so much of you relax."

"Now."

"No." Tenten wasn't sure if it was they way she pressed harder into the knotted muscles of his back or her open defiance to his request, his order, that made him spin around and grab her neck, but she was soon an arms length away from him.

He stared her down with a horribly dangerous look on his face. "Don't touch me." With that he stood up and walked off.

(End)

As always thanks for reading. C & C is always welcome.

1. I was so tempted to run with this. You have no idea. But I thought it would be too much like the Sixth Sense or High Plains Drifter . . . How DOES a ghost rape someone! Clint Eastwood is silly . . .

2. I will give you something if you catch that reference. I'll write something for you, draw something for you, bake you a fucking cake, whatever! Oh yeah, if you read the interview with Kishimoto in Shounen Jump's Sept. 2005 issue (DON'T JUDGE ME!), he says that there may be planes and some other vehicles. If they have planes, they probably have cars. So there! (Raspberry)


	5. HELP

** EDIT!**

**  
(laughing) I would like to thank Tami for two things. Firstly, she pointed out that I messed up while resubmitting my chapters, so chapter three is now back. Secondly, yes I know it's moving slowly, but there IS a plot. I promise. It surfaces in chapter five, which is why I'm having so many problems. I also failed to mention that in my head, Gaara has been practising with the Sand at night. If you remember they said that Gaara was the only person to MASTER the sand. Also, the Third Kazrkage used sand. So apparently you can use the sand without being possessed by an evil tenuki that tries to eat your soul.  
**


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